1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus and more particularly to a liquid crystal display suited for a hand-held or desk-top game apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a hand-held type game apparatus including a conventional liquid crystal display 1. Such a game apparatus may be similar to that disclosed in the copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 161,344 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,926.
Referring to FIG. 1, a housing 2 comprises a liquid crystal display portion 3 located near the upper surface of the housing 2. The housing 2 further comprises at other portions of the upper surface thereof game mode switches 6 to 9 for starting a game mode and for selecting the degree of difficulty of playing a game. Character moving and/or changing switches 4 and 5 are provided for moving and changing a predetermined character being displayed on the liquid crystal display portion 3.
Usually such liquid crystal display comprises a reflecting plate, not shown, on the rear surface of the liquid crystal display portion 3, i.e. on the surface of the housing 2. Light incident on the liquid crystal display portion 3 from outside the housing 2 is transmitted through the liquid crystal display portion 3 and then the light is reflected from the reflecting plate, not shown, provided on the rear surface thereof and is again led outside the liquid crystal display portion 3 after transmission through the liquid crystal display portion 3. However, in the case where a segment electrode, not shown, formed in the liquid crystal display portion 3 is driven for display, the light incident on the segment electrode portion is scattered or absorbed depending on the nature of the liquid crystal, with the result that the light does not reach the reflecting plate. Accordingly, the segment electrode portion being driven for display becomes considerably lower in brightness than that in the other portions, whereby the difference in brightness produces an image being displayed on the liquid crystal display portion 3. More specifically, a user observes light reflected from the liquid crystal display portion 3, whereby the information being displayed by the liquid crystal display portion 3 becomes visible.
However, since the conventional liquid crystal display 1 has at the same side a light receiving surface where a light from outside is received by the liquid crystal display portion 3 and a light image observing surface where an image being displayed by light reflected from the liquid crystal display portion 3, it could happen that the image becomes difficult to be observed depending on the surrounding brightness and the angle at which the liquid crystal display portion 3 is observed. This problem is based on the following facts. More specifically, if the surrounding brightness in observing the liquid crystal display 1 is dark, the absolute amount of light impinging on the liquid crystal display 3 is decreased, whereby the contrast between the segment electrode portion being driven for display and the portion other than the driven portion is decreased, whereby discrimination becomes less easy. Conversely, if the surrounding brightness in which the liquid crystal display 1 is observed is increased, an ample amount of light is obtained and the above described problem will be eliminated. However, in such a case an amount of a light being reflected from an outer glass surface of the liquid crystal display portion 3 is accordingly increased. Therefore, depending on the angle at which the liquid crystal display portion 3 is observed, an amount of the light being reflected from the outer glass surface of the liquid crystal display portion 3 becomes larger than that reflected from the reflecting plate. In such a case, it becomes again difficult for a user to discern a background area as viewed on the outer glass surface and the image being displayed on the liquid crystal display portion 3. For example, if and when a light source per se is seen on the outer glass surface, the image being displayed is hardly visible. In particular, since a hand-held electronic device such as a game apparatus, a pocket calculator, an electronic wristwatch, and the like having a liquid crystal display are observed by a user while the same are held by hand, a viewing direction and an outer light direction are not constant and accordingly the above described problems become even more pronounced.